Recently I found some old photos I would like to post when I started modeling. I wonder if we all could come up with some old pictures of our modeling community with people and articles that go way back at least to the post WWII years up to maybe 15- 20 years ago. Not the newer stuff that would just fill a thread. Let's try to cap on the years like pre 1990 -95 and earlier from the areas we are living in. People would have to post things of all types of planes, boats, and cars from the old control line days to the infancy of RC planes, etc. The older the better.

I think some members here may recognize the photos and comment on who they are and what club they were with in those days. Maybe even what the picture event it represents. This would maybe open links to people that were known to more people of the recent hobby days. Who new who? I thought maybe S. Shore (Rt44 -495 Southerly) would be from RI border to the Cape Cod canal area. The center focus in the middle like New Bedford area where there was a lot of modelers. This could over a period of time be successful or just be a flop depending on posters. You never know.

So here is the plan. We communicate and you dig through your old photo albums as far back as you can find the oldies. Look for the start of your modeling in the early days. Copy them and post them here with a short story and the time and place as close as you can rememberIf you think you are having problems or it is beyond your scope let me know. I can meet with you to copy and get it posted. You will hold onto your treasured photo with no loans or loss. I would take pictures of your photos and rework them for posting and you would write the story or captions to go with it. I do not expect that this is something that will take off and fly off the charts. It will take time. Let's build a modelers family tree here to share and possibly link people that some know and do not know. We may get surprised as to who or what may show up in here. Join in with the older stuff.

I will start the posts with some of my photos to help spark interest and maybe some fun.

Being the one to initiate the flow of old pictures and how I relate myself in the early years of my entry to modeling, I am initiating a short text and some photos. I actually built my first models when I was about 9 years old. The very first was a comet kit sailboat called a Gypsy sloop in the Boats thread.viewtopic.php?f=19&t=44I used to shovel snow or do odd jobs to buy plastic Revel Models kits later in early 50's. But then my brother brought a friend over to my house and he was building flying models with balsa wood. I was super curious by all he talked about. That triggered a new interest in model planes. He flew big planes that were powered by rubber. Wow Imagine that. I never saw one. He had a real nitro motor too. A Fox 35. He was into control line too. This was going to be a new love affair for me. Damn! I still had no interest in girls either. Who needs girls around? I want to build a flying airplane. Heck! So of I started with communication with a new friend. I will tell you some of you may know my best friend from 1950's. He passed away 10 years ago. Joe Correia. Joe"McCoo"Correia. What a friend and a character. He was very well known back then in New Bedford. I have many of his planes here today. Most have seen the pink Sig Kadet Senior and pink glider that I fly these days. After building what seems like every kit by Comet I scratch built a profile Jap Zero and a Whipsaw into the mid 50's. These were my first big planes and I was just learning to fly. I actually had a Veco 19 and a Forster 29 now. Anyone remember Lenny Gadomski. He sold Forsters.

Remember double click to ZOOM

Bay Village in New Bedford. All of 13 yoa 1956

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Here are some of my friend Joe's planes. He later took the knick name Joe Warhawk. That is a Sterling Warhawk stunt w/Fox35 power. The combat plane is his own modified wing. The Yak9 was eventually covered in metallic green with Russian stars power is K&B 35.

Ok Guys. Have you seen what is going on here. Let us see some of your early days of modeling in here. I will continue on here with some more local fare.

The fields that our small group of fliers was mainly Santo Christo ball field. At that time it was a very large are in acres od grassland and bumps. The old Standard Times field. . Also known now as S Terminal. We also flew at Roosevelt Jr. High School, and S. Dartmouth DeMello school. Eventually if we had transportation we would go to the New Bedfoord Airport. We had maybe 8 close fliers in our group. There were a few hobby stores in my area of S.End N.B. Meehans on Water St. Bob's Hobbies. Rodney French Blvd. The N.End had Hobbytown on Acushnet Ave. and my new friend and flier, Frank Baptista. More on him shortly. Here is my collection of planes growing now.

My brothers Comet Spad won 1rst at the YMCA Model Club meets on William St.

Here are some pictures as time went on and I reached into the early 60's when I got my car and motorcycle. So time started moving on to all directions with less toward flying. But my friends were still doing there flying as time goes on. I got married in 1962 and i built a 61inch scratch built Hein 61 Tony stunt in the cellar for my honeymoon .Ha Hah! My friend Joe built a bigger Warhawk with a Fox 59 power. We were always competing between us. It was always fun with friendly competitions. The Hen Tony still sits in my garage to this day. So for power I had a good swap with our member past Walter Witkos. He was my drafting teacher in Roosevelt Jr. High school around 1960-61. I traded my Veco 19 for a nice 1946 Barker 60 he had that was converted to nitro. Ran beautiful and flew stunt nicely.

My good friend Frank Baptista came into the hobby. He flew quite a lot with guys at the New Bedford Airport group. I had been into my custom car and mid 60's a motorcycle custom that took most of my time. As I got into the 70's I was also boating a lot too so I was into a long hiatus away from control line flying. But Frank continued on while camping. He opened up a small hobby store in New Bedford along with a flying school. He also formed the Flying Fools club and later started into RC aircraft. I remember him in the later 70's in through the later years also flying many RC planes in the Westport High school and also at S.Watuppa in Fall River with Cub seaplanes. We were doing some Deep Vee boat racing with the Fall River Model Boat Club in the 80's at that time also. If I recall Frank was a member of the Bridgewater RC Club also. Here are some more pictures of his model Hobby store and his school.

More pictures from Frank's photo album. One of the N.B. South fliers "Pistol" Pete built the large Hawker Hurricane. He had it for years and could not finish the plane due to funds. It was comical as the plane had an old OK 60 on it with no cowling. I guess it was just to show a motor on the plane. It would have needed a big 35cc gas motor on it to fly the plane. I used to call it a Flying Lumberyard. Frank Baptista bought it and it was later bought by John Nicolaci. The claims are that John finished the plane and flew it. It was a control line plane. It would have needed extensive mods to fly as an RC plane.

More shots: One of interest is a shot in the 70's with our BCRCC past member Manual C. Arruda. He was a president of the newly formed New Bedford Model Airplane Club. Manny is seen in here with a twin C/L plane and the VP Andrew Reuter below.Other shots are my friends planes. I hope some of you add to these Nostalgic stories and flying days. Lets link them all together.

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A surprise photo find. cc early 70's.

Later years at S. Watuppa with 2 sons.

Franks C/L Shark 45 sold toJoe Corriea crashed it. I have it now in black.

This is about the limit of my old time story. I only flew RC one time for about one minute plus at Santo Christo field. I home built a RC Stik with an .049 Thimble Drone motor. I flew with a single channel Mattel system with a pulse that was progressive with more or less stick control. It actually flew okay without any testing. Without an elevator it flew at the mercy of the breezes. It would lift and settle by itself going with or against the wind. It finally settled into the tall grass. That was in the middle 60's. I still have that set and I bet it still works too.

We had a special get together in January 11,1986 when we were in the middle of the winter and wanted to do a control line get together and have a friendly classic flight meet. Well I agreed to do it and we all started building and cleaning up planes to have a fun day of friendly competition. I had a Super Ringmaster with a Fox 35 and a rebuilt Nobler with a Chipmunk wing in it. I put a Fox 35 with a muffler in it. We had a heck of a time being a cold January day in 1986' I had a couple crashes but little damages. Broke props and landed a dead stick inverted Nobler and my friend caught it with a great save. The motors could have used more run in time to cope with the cold day. All in all it was another great memory to bestow.

The last I saw my local guys flying any control line was around 1993. I had a new but used 1983 Honda Goldwing. I was riding around and heard some of the guys I flew with in early years were flying in New Bedford Buttonwood Park baseball field. I stopped by to watch them fly a few times. I received some film they took and some I took with my friend Joe's camcorder. I preserved it to digital copy and posted it on YouTube in 2 parts after some editing. It was very long. But here are the links if anyone wants to see any parts or all of it. I have o idea where they all are today. That is all but my friend Joe who passed away in Jan 17, 2007.Part #01https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8qk14BqRWUPart #02https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m6p_8F-sO8I like part #02 with the combat action.

My new comeback to flying was into electric RC flight. That was about 2004 and too new for showing in here. So here we are with a whole lot of past info. I am hoping to see some BCRCC members show or write some articled here.

Did anyone notice the cute little boy I was in Franks club in Bridgewater, MA. The Panorama section of the Standard Times in 1972 shows a picture of mesitting on the ground holding up my H Ray with an Enya .45 in it. Those were the days. The paper featured a full page color picture and I was in it flying that plane with Frank Baptista hand launching it for me in 1972. Bob needs to get that picture from Frank it was full color and took up over a 1/4 page.Carlos

Carlos I will try to retrieve it if possible. Kitty is the one with a sharp memory. If it is there she will find it. Let's hope more members start to take some interest and post their past flying days.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Have you or anyone looked at the Nostalgia post in the Boats forum?